


A Lion Among Deer

by Odoacro



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, First Kiss, Hot Springs & Onsen, Large Breasts, Romantic Fluff, Sauna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:33:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23380972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odoacro/pseuds/Odoacro
Summary: Following a patrol shift, Ashe decides to go warm up in the Garreg Mach sauna, unaware that it is being used for a "girls' night out" despite the late hour.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Marianne von Edmund
Comments: 20
Kudos: 58





	A Lion Among Deer

The crisp night air of the Wyvern Moon reminded Ashe of Faerghus as he headed to his room in Garreg Mach after his patrol shift. Here, in the mountains, it could get as chilly as northern Fódlan on certain nights, and this was one of them. Rubbing his gloved hands together, he walked down a flight of stone stairs that gave him a good look of the half-ruined state of the monastery. Reparations were going smoothly between battles, but some of the more elaborate work would have to be left until after the war was over.

A light crunching sound accompanied his steps as he walked through the western yard on the way to his room. The frosted grass glittered in the moonlight, as did the thin cover of ice on the gray stone walls. It was cold and quiet, but also serenely beautiful.

However, the beauty of his surroundings did little to warm him up. While it was late, Ashe made the decision to take a quick visit to the sauna. At this hour it ought to be empty so he should be able to control the temperature to his liking.

The sauna was up a flight of stairs right next to the entrance of the training grounds, making it a popular spot for people to unwind after some intense sparring. Now the training grounds were silent except for the wind seeping though the crack of the wooden gate.

To Ashe's surprise, there was torchlight coming through the window of the sauna, though he could neither see nor hear who was inside. Regardless of who it was, he wouldn't mind some company; as much as he appreciated the monastery at night, it could get a little spooky.

Removing his bow and quiver and taking off his warm, blue clothes in the men's dressing room, the young man grabbed a towel and tied it around his lower body. The sauna was meant for both men and women, and as such it wouldn't do to use it without wearing anything.

The wooden building was always warm, but there was something special about feeling the smooth surface of the sauna floor itself and taking in the scent of lingering steam. As Ashe got closer to the door leading into the sauna proper, the sound of familiar, high-pitched voices grew louder. Someone was giggling rather loudly, and let out an excited gasp as Ashe knocked.

"Oooh, is there someone else who wants to join our girl night? Come in, come in! There's plenty of room!" A happy voice cried, sounding mildly intoxicated.

Hilda, Ashe thought, swallowing before opening the door. He had never been very good at handling her, not because he disliked her - far from it - but the touching and the teasing was distinctly more Leicester than it was Faerghus. "Good evening, ladies." He said, closing the door behind him.

Accompanying Hilda were two of her former classmates, Lysithea and Marianne, and all three of them were wearing white towels just like him. The room was lit up by two large torches, casting an orange glow on the dark brown wood and the stone stove. There were two rows of seats, one upper level and one lower level that could accommodate around twenty people. The Leicester women had not added much water to the stones yet, but instead seemed to be enjoying a drink and magically chilled sweets.

Lysithea sat up straight, her large, round eyes looking at the newcomer as if he had caught them doing something wrong. "A-Ashe!" She exclaimed, quickly swallowing her frozen treat and stroked back a lock of her white hair. "Hi."

With a smile, he raised his hand. "Hello, everyone, you look like you're having fun. May I join you?"

"I'd take it as a personal insult if you didn't." Hilda said with a wink, patting the space to her on the upper level of the seat rows, beckoning him. "Had I known you would join us I would've worn something more flattering, or maybe nothing at all."

"Hilda!" Marianne said, her hand in front of her chest holding on tightly to the towel, afraid it'd drop. The only response she got from her pink-haired friend was a laugh followed by a long drink.

Ashe laughed nervously, hoping the somewhat warm sauna could serve as an excuse for how warm his cheeks felt. Pretending he hadn't seen Hilda's invitation to sit next to her on the top row, he sat next to Lysithea on the bottom row closest to the stove. The younger woman tensed up, clasping the lower part of her towel and looking down on her lap.

Before Ashe could suggest that he sit elsewhere, Hilda stretched out her hand and offer him a glass of what they had been drinking. "Pear cider." She said with a wink as he took the glass. "It's sweet but it sure packs a punch, so be careful."

Thanking her, he took a sip and found himself really enjoying the taste, and so he took a proper drink. "Wow, this is delicious! So, are you all celebrating something?"

"Hilda wanted a 'girl's night out' but didn't mention the alcohol..." Marianne explained pensively, but took another drink from her glass. If she judged Hilda, then it wasn't very harshly. She was sitting to the right of Lysithea just in front of Hilda, still keeping her hand on her towel, and Ashe did his best to maintain eye contact when she talked.

"Hey, they can't expect us to work all the time, can they? Plus, we won't march for another two weeks or so, so let's not worry about tomorrow!" She said happily, taking another generous drink from her glass, finishing up the clear, fizzy liquid only to pour some more as soon as she was done. She was clearly the most inebriated of the three, but she somehow gave the impression of being able to handle alcohol better than her friends. 

Ashe couldn't help but to laugh a little. "Relaxation is important, it's true. I just came here to warm up after my patrol shift. If you want, I can finish up here and leave you alone."

"No!" Lysithea exclaimed, more suddenly and loudly than she had probably intended. She seemed to have realized how strong she came across, and cleared her throat. "I-I mean, it would be most rude of us to occupy a public building all on our own and chase away our allies. H-Here!" She said quickly, offering Ashe one of the turquoise, frozen treats. 

"Oh, why, thank you." The young archer replied, missing the knowing smirk Hilda flashed her white-haired friend. The sweet, as he had previously noted, was magically chilled, allowing it to keep its shape and texture despite the warm room. He wondered just how much heat they could take and if they would stay the same even after they raised the heat.

Placing one leg over the other and leaning back against the wall, the pink-haired woman said, "Ashe, as an honorary member of our girl talk night, you'll have to join in on our romantic ramblings. We young maidens love discussing those things, you see. As a boy, nay, man, you may offer us some valuable insight."

Whatever it was she was going for, Ashe was sure he wouldn't be able to see it coming and decided to simply play along. "I'll most certainly do my best." 

"Before you entered, we were discussing ideal dates." Hilda continued, adjusting her towel just a bit but the motion was more than enough to remind the Faerghusian man just how big her breasts were. Yet another reason why he had always found it hard to keep his cool around her. "What would you say is your ideal date?"

Lysithea and Marianne perked up, almost imperceptibly leaning a little bit closer, but they remained quiet. 

That wasn't nearly as bad as he had expected. He relaxed and thought about his answer. "Well, I suppose that depends on the person, but I really like cooking, so perhaps I could treat her to a homemade meal. Or maybe we could cook it together. Then, the stars shine so brightly in Faerghus, so if the date took place there, I'd suggest we take a slight detour up a hill as I escorted her home."

There was a moment of silence after he finished speaking, and for a few seconds Ashe wondered if he had said something wrong somehow, but then Marianne broke the silence.

"That sounds lovely." She said with a smile, though her voice was low. Come to think of it, Ashe had not seen Marianne smile much, especially not five years ago when they were still students. They had read together in the library many times, often without exchanging many words but there had always been a comfortable and pleasant silent between them when they hadn't been talking. It was when she smiled that Ashe felt his heart skip a beat over just how beautiful she truly was.

"I agree. I'm going to have to get you to take me out on a date one of these days, Ashe!" Hilda agreed, putting her hands together, then narrowed her eyes with a predatory, sly smile. "Of course, it's also important that any date ends...pleasantly. Wouldn't you all agree?" 

Lysithea scoffed, crossing her arms with a look of mild disgust. "Honestly, that filthy mind of yours. They say that there's truth in wine, and I see what is meant by that expression now. What is important is the connection being made during the first date, obviously."

"You're just doubting your ability to seal the deal, little Lyssie." The pink-haired woman teased with a wave of her hand.

Even though the comment had clearly been meant as a joke, Lysithea stood up, her red cheeks standing out even more due to her snow white hair. "I-I beg your pardon?! I'm perfectly capable of...!" She turned her head and looked at Ashe with wide eyes, then cleared her throat and sat down with a defiant expression. "I will not fall for your rude, inappropriate remarks, Hilda." 

"Ri~ght, I can tell you have perfect mastery of your emotions." 

"Do you want me to Dark Spike you?!" 

The bickering continued, and Ashe heard Marianne sighing with a tired smile, looking almost motherly as she watched the two friends arguing. She took another sip from her glass and then said to Ashe, "I apologize for those two. Hilda gets a little too playful when she has had something to drink, and I think Lysithea is tenser than usual." 

"No need to apologize, it's nice to see them getting along so well." He replied with a smile, taking a cue from her and having some more of the cider. "You have good friends." 

"I do." She agreed, then tapped her glass with her nails. "Though I suppose this is very different from when we're in the library; the volume isn't quite so high there."

Ashe chuckled, then said, "I'm actually going to the library tomorrow after lunch, would you like to join me?" It was never quite the same to go to the library without Marianne being there.

She seemed taken aback by the sudden invitation, but nodded wordlessly, something that Hilda seemed to take as an invitation to join in on the conversation.

"Aw, you two! See, maybe Marianne should be the one teaching us how to wrap a man around her finger, eh, Lysithea?" There was a pause, and the pinkette's carefree smile disappeared. "...Lysithea, you're looking very red there."

Just as she said, Lysithea's face was a bright red color, and her eyes seemed distant and faint. She slouched limpily against the wooden bench behind her. "I...seem to remember that you are not supposed to drink alcohol in a sauna. I now understand why." She said, her voice shaking a little. 

"Alright, everyone, let's pack up and go to the baths, I think Lysithea needs some fresh air." The pink-haired woman said, leaving no room for further discussion. "I'll take the booze, Marianne you take the sweets, and Ashe, you can take Lysithea."

She was good at giving orders, Ashe found himself thinking, so much so that he didn't even really think twice about lifting the younger woman even though she was only wearing a towel. She was light, as expected of someone of her physique, and she felt very warm in his hands. With on arm under her back and one under her knees, he could feel just how smooth her warm, pale skin was. 

"I don't need to be carried!" She protested weakly, but she wrapped a thin arm around his neck for support and continued, "ugh, this is so embarrassing..." 

Marianne opened the door leading to the outdoor baths, a natural hot spring that was particularly sought after during spring and autumn. It would be too cold to be out of the water in only their towels for long, however, so Ashe walked over to the bath immediately.

"Don't worry about being carried, Mercedes threw me over her shoulders during the Battle of the Eagle and Lion after I was struck by a training sword and ran behind our defensive line." The young archer laughed at the memory.

This seemed to please Lysithea. "Truly?" She asked with a small smile. "Then I suppose I do not mind." She put her other arm around his neck and seemed to relax, but by then they were by the edge of the spring. A shame, Lysithea was really cute when she wasn't busy scowling. Smiling suited her better.

Steam was rising to the night sky from the hot spring. It was not particularly big, but it was more than spacious enough for the four of them. Ashe entered the water and gently let down Lysithea before sitting down himself, while Marianne sat on his left and Hilda positioned herself on Lysithea's right, immediately making sure that she was alright.

"Thank you, Ashe." Marianne said, offering him another sweet. "I suppose this became a bit more lively than you had expected."

He popped another one of the sweets into his mouth. "Not to worry, I'm happy to help, and so long as Lysithea is fine, this is also a lot more fun than I was expecting."

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" Lysithea said, sitting up straight. "Although I do believe I had a little too much to drink." She squinted at Hilda's bottle and placed her hand on her head. "Just how much alcohol is in that thing?"

Hilda took another drink. "Enough." She said with a girlish giggle. "Let me just soak for a bit and then I'll escort you home to make sure you don't collapse on the way."

Lysithea pouted. "Thanks, I guess, but I'm fine on my...oh..." She mumbled, wobbling a little. "Okay, maybe you've got a point." Yawning, she leaned back against the smooth stones that surrounded the warm water.

Everyone else followed suit, with Hilda letting out a content sigh. "I should come here more often. Wait, why don't I?"

"Because Seteth likes to come here when he has time to spare." Marianne reminded her, to which Hilda shuddered. "Seteth is a very courteous and interesting man, Hilda. You two would get along better if you just..." She let the words remain unsaid, taking a sip of her drink. While she didn't seem drunk, it did seem as though the alcohol had lent her a little bit of courage and made her more inclined to talking.

"Yeah yeah yeah..." Now it was Hilda's turn to pout. "Maybe I would get along with the man better if he weren't so scary. If only more men were like you, Ashe." She took the last turquoise sweet and hummed as she closed her eyes. 

Again, he had no clue what to say. "Ahaha...thank you for the compliment." 

"I bet Seteth's idea of a first date would be to clean the library or something." The pink-haired woman continued. "Thinking about what you said earlier, Ashe, I'm getting a bit peckish. Do you think you could cook for me sometime?"

"I'm on kitchen duty tomorrow actually, so absolutely!" He said, lowering his body further into the water and feeling the tension of his muscles fading away. 

"Not as romantic as I would have liked, but I'll take it." Hilda said with an exaggerated sigh, then poked Lysithea's cheek. "Hey, you okay?"

She groaned. "Mm...five more minutes..." 

With a coy grin, Hilda tugged at Lysithea's cheeks, pinching them between her index fingers and thumbs, waking her friend up quickly.

"Buah! Whudd arr you duuing?!" The young mage asked. "I'm ubb, I'm ubb, stob bulling!"

"Just making sure you don't drown. Now come on, let's wash ourselves off with some cold water in the dressing room and get you home." She turned to Ashe and Marianne as she stood up with Lysithea and asked, "What about you two?"

Enjoying the water too much to leave just now, Ashe answered, "I just got here, so I'll stay for a bit longer."

Surprisingly, Marianne said, "I will stay a little longer as well. The water feels so nice." She lowered her head as she said goodbye to her friends. Ashe would've assumed Marianne would be too shy to stay alone in a hot spring with him late at night, perhaps this was due to the effects of the alcohol? Or did she just really like hot springs that much? Whatever it was, he was happy with her decision.

Hilda smiled wickedly, but for once seemed to keep what she was thinking to herself as she led a wobbly Lysithea into the building by the shoulders. "Good night you two~!" She called out over her shoulder.

And just like that, they were gone, and Ashe and Marianne were the only two left. At first, the young man was unsure of what to say; whenever they were in the library together, they didn't talk too much. Being alone in a hot spring with the most beautiful girl in the army was a thought that made his heart beat faster and his brain start panicking.

Thankfully, and surprising him once more, she began talking. "I finished reading the book you lent me last week." It was a simple, matter-of-fact statement, but one that made him considerably calmer.

"Oh, the 'Knight of Frigid Summers', was it? What did you think?" He asked with an enthusiastic smile.

"It was certainly Faerghusian." She said, returning his smile with a brief, small one of her one that only lasted for an instant, like a bolt of lightning flashing across the skies. "Heroic knights and fair princesses and everything."

He winced a bit at her remark. "Ouff...it didn't sound like you enjoyed it."

"Oh, no no, I didn't mean it like that." She said, bringing her hand to the top of her towel and clenching her grip, obscuring the partial view of her breasts, but in doing so, she reminded Ashe that he couldn't look down. "I apologize, I'm not very good at expressing myself..."

"Just like Princess Miranda in the story!" Ashe burst out without thinking, only realizing later that she had just brought up a personal issue in confidence.

However, Marianne didn't seem to mind. After an initial, brief silence, she brought her hand to just in front of her mouth and giggled sweetly. It was a quiet sound, but melodic and contagious, and as she leaned forward while laughing, a few strands of damp, blue hair covered her face.

"The princess whose beauty is said to be indescribable even by the most skilled poets?" She asked amusedly.

"Well, yes." The archer replied. "I...think that fits you quite well."

This moment of silence lasted longer than the last one, with Marianne's gray eyes staring dead ahead at him. She looked as though she was frozen in time for several seconds. Seconds that felt like minutes to Ashe.

Her hand returned to her towel, and she brought her legs closer to her body. "Thank you. I've never really been called something like that before. It feels...nice."

"Really? I have a hard time believing that...I mean, I felt pretty shy around you for that very reason when we were still students here." Ashe laughed, leaning against the warm, smooth rocks in the hot springs, looking up at the sky. "I remember one time when I had actually planned on..." His eyes lit up, an idea taking form. "Hey, Marianne, could you come a little closer?"

"Oh, um, okay." She said with a nod, soon sitting right next to his right arm. Looking at him with curious gray eyes, she almost whispered, "What now?"

He pointed up towards the pitch black sky lit up by a sea of stars, blue, white and purple painting the dark canvas like fireworks frozen in time. "It's a good night for stargazing, wouldn't you say?"

She let out a quiet gasp as she looked up. "It...really is. I can't remember the last time the sky was this pretty..." Her voice was quiet, talking to herself as much as Ashe. "Do you know the names of any constellations?"

"Yeah, I recognize a few from a book Lord Lonato had me read when I was younger." He made a counting gesture with his finger, still pointed towards the night sky. "Those five are known as the Small Hawk, and the seven over there are known as the Great Hawk."

Trying to follow his finger, she leaned her head closer towards him, her cheek now almost resting on his shoulder, and Ashe was once again reminded of their state of semi-undress. "Where?" She asked, her breath feeling cold on his skin compared to the steam of the hot spring, sending a shiver down his spine. Her breath smelled sweet of the turquoise frozen treats and the pear cider.

Clearing his throat, he pointed again, his voice shaking slightly. "Th-Those five, and those seven. Do you see them?"

"Oh, yes!" She exclaimed merrily. "They look like birds from far away, almost like an 'm'. I had never noticed that before." Her cheek grazed his shoulder, but she removed her head quickly, straightening her back.

Feeling his heart pounding, his thoughts mildly influenced by the cider, Ashe hesitated for a second before placing an arm around Marianne's waist under the water. He did it as gently as he could, trying to make it clear he had no intention of making her feel uncomfortable, but he wanted to be closer to her. Even through the towel he could feel the softness of her body.

Marianne froze up, not moving or saying anything at all at first. Then, perhaps because she felt something similar, she hesitantly leaned her head against his shoulder, on purpose this time. 

The two remained like that in silence for a full minute, unsure of what they should do next. A cold wind blew through Garreg Mach, but it felt only refreshing while sitting in the hot springs, the water and steam warding off even the autumn mountain chill. And now, the pair was warmer than ever, huddled together below the water.

"I..." Marianne began, Ashe barely hearing what she was saying. "I never told you what my ideal date would be."

"You didn't." He affirmed. "What would it be?"

"This would be it." She said without a moment's pause, with conviction in her normally timid voice. The stars continued to shine beautifully above as Marianne's words faded into the night, a quiet confession that reached no one else in the world.

The pair looked at each other, their faces close, and within a moment, their lips met. Neither of the two knew exactly what to do, and it was a clumsy, small affair at first, but their jittery nerves pushed them on. Soon, their lips parted but met briefly again, under more controlled circumstances this time around. 

Marianne's lips were colder than he would've expected, having been in a sauna and then a hot spring. His arms were still around her slender waist, and her hand found its way to his leg.

They pulled away, smiling nervously at each other. The Leicester woman pulled back a few strands of her hair behind her ears, sucked in her lip, opened her mouth, and then said nothing. She tensed up and looked into the water, her slim shoulders raised high. 

"Th-That was nice!" Ashe burst out, rubbing the back of his head. "Y-You taste good. No, I mean, that is to say...! "

"Y-You too!" Marianne said, looking at him now. "V-Very...sweet."

"Thanks!" 

No good, what was one supposed to say at a time like this? All stories, both written and oral, tended to end with a kiss! Even Sylvain's wild tales tended to end at that point, unless he was drunk, at which point Ingrid was the one to shut him up before he could continue. Wait, why was he thinking about Sylvain now?!

"I, you know, do my best..." He continued weakly, then shook his head. "I mean...argh, sorry, I'm not very good at this it seems."

"N-No, no, it's completely fine!" She waved her arms in front of her as if physically deflecting his comment. "Would you like to get out of the water?"

Ashe bit his lower lip. That might be difficult given present conditions without scaring her off like a frightened rabbit. "In a minute, sure. Would you, you know, like to kiss again?" 

It took two seconds before Marianne nodded with a small smile. "That sounds like a good idea." 

Embracing her again, Ashe felt relieved at the idea of not having to talk for now, and could fully focus on the rush that being with Marianne provided. He could feel her large breasts pushing against his chest; even underneath the towel he could feel their softness, and the very top of them still grazed his upper body, the silken smooth skin making it ever harder to sit still and hide his erection under his towel.

He felt her hands carefully reaching behind his back, exploring the area with gentle fingers and curious touches. A few seconds passed, and she let out a cute moan before they stopped kissing, though they remained in each other's arms.

"So what happens now?" She asked, sounding noticeably calmer than before, though she still looked away.

"I suppose we're together now. Romantically, I mean." The archer said. "I'm sure we can work out the details as we go along, at least after the war is over." 

"Mm..." She agreed. "Now we have one more reason to end the war as quickly as we can." 

Tightening his grip, Ashe simply said, "Yeah." It was an unfittingly ominous topic to have on a night such as this, so he asked, "Want to go wash off inside?" 

With another hum of agreement, she slowly distanced herself from him and stood up, keeping her towel up with her right hand. "Do you...need help washing your back? O-Or...r-r-relieve the t-tension...?" She stuttered those last words, her face painted a deep red color.

Oh crap, she was staring right at his crotch. "No no no, I'm fine, really. This is a completely normal reaction! I mean, I know you're already aware of that, but it's no big deal, really!" 

"B-But, if we're together now, and you are so stiff because of me, then I..." 

"There's no need to push yourself, Marianne." He said, standing up and putting a hand on her shoulder. "We should take these things at our own pace." Trying to sound more mature and confident than he felt, he struggled to maintain eye contact while keeping his own blush under control.

She nodded, exhaling. "But...it's that way because of me, right? Not because of Lysithea or Hilda?"

This felt like a trap, and he was the caught deer. Figuring it would be best to be honest, he dropped his shoulders and said, "Yes, though it was difficult to maintain eye contact with Hilda earlier." 

"I noticed. She did too." Marianne said, sounding unusually coy. Perhaps she gained some confidence from his answer. Or maybe it was the lingering effects of the pear cider. "But hearing that makes me happy. Perhaps one day, we can..."

A cold breeze blew through the buildings surrounding the hot spring, causing them both to shiver. Still wet and partially out of the water, the cold autumn night felt more frigid than ever before, and the pair tightened the grip of their towels. 

"Let's continue this conversation indoors, shall we?" Ashe asked, climbing out of the bath and extending a hand to his new girlfriend. 

"Yes, there are many things I look forward to talking about." Marianne took his hand, and the two walked back into the sauna building. And the stars above kept shining.

**Author's Note:**

> Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. I own nothing nor do I claim to.
> 
> A sweeter story this time around, but as you know I have a hard time refraining from implementing lewd elements and comments. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you thought in a comment. 
> 
> I've got one more Three Houses story planned next if my schedule allows, and it'll be a lot spicier than this one, so keep an eye out for that in the future!


End file.
